Favorite Albums of 2009

I know this is about a month late, but it really did take me this long to think about the subject. I'm not really much of an album person. It's rare that I will like every single song on an album. I have this year though, but with older albums (examples: Robots in Disguise- We're in the Music Biz, Elton John- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, CKY- Volume 1 & Infiltrate.Destroy.Rebuild, & Less Than Jake- Anthem). I'm also more of a fan of Soundtracks, I think due to my obsession with mixed tapes/CDs. However, as I said, after long consideration, I've realized that there are in fact, a few albums released in 2009 that struck my fancy. So here they are below:

Best Albums of 2009:



Miss Li- Dancing the Whole Way Home

I first heard the song "Bourgeois Shangri-la" on the iPod Nano Video commercial and the more I saw the commercial and heard the song, the more I wanted to find out who sang it and listen to more. I was glad I did, because all of her music has such an interesting sound to it; it's very bubbly and upbeat, though it seems the lyrics aren't always. She sings a lot about love, which is adorable, considering her voice. I find she seems to be underrated in the States; I haven't really met anyone else who has heard of her, so to me, that makes it all the more special when I listen to and enjoy her music.

Song to listen to/download: Bourgeois Shangri-La <---it's a good starting place to get a grasp of her music.




Vampire Weekend- Contra

I've recently become a fan and I have to say, I am blown away by their music. In the past I have heard of them, but now I'm kicking myself for not jumping on the bandwagon sooner. I find their music fascinating and just like their first album (which I just recently listened to), they have such a mixture of music, it's almost like a mixed tape. I also just read an incredibly interesting article on them in Rolling Stone, so go pick that up and check it out! It really gives insight into them as more than artists, so it literally upped my respect for them quite a bit.

Song to listen to/download Cousins <---Watch the video, too. It's pretty ace.

Best Soundtracks of 2009:



(500) Days of Summer

Okay, this was definitely not my favorite movie of 2009 (as much as I wanted it to be), but what made it worth even finishing was the soundtrack. It even helped me enjoy a Smiths song for the first time! (Smiths lovers, step away) It had such a random collection of music yet it somehow all fit together perfectly, and that made it remind me of my own mixes. I can definitely say not only because of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's cuteness, but this soundtrack actually makes the movie worth seeing, so check it out if you get a chance!

Song to listen to/Download Hero- Regina Spektor <---Beautiful, just beautiful.




Jennifer's Body

This movie wasn't NEARLY as bad as I thought it was going to be; really, I enjoyed it a lot. The music in it seemed to compliment every single scene: the morose students in school after the death of some of their classmates, the hard rock playing before something bad's going to happen. What is even better is that the music is very modern, so if you're looking for a good soundtrack with a mixture of indie, screamo, and hard rock that could very well pertain to your own life in high school, then go for this.

Song to listen to/download Teenagers- Hayley Williams.